Page 30 of A Touch of Treachery
“Why choose that as her alias?”
“Who knows?Because she didn’t want to call herself the Sugar Plum Fairy?”
I huffed at his sarcasm.“We both know how important code names are, especially to spies.Nemesis hassomespecial meaning to this woman.If we figure out what that meaning is, then we’ll be one step closer to tracking her down.”
Gabriel shrugged.“She did say she wanted revenge, although she didn’t say against whom.”
“Well, it probably wasn’t me, you, or Desmond, since she sent you to help us.And I doubt she wanted revenge against Elsa Eisen either, since helping Desmond and me also helped Elsa.”I frowned, another thought occurring to me.“How did she even know Desmond and I were going to Tannenbaum Castle?Gia and Evelyn were the only people in Section 47 who knew that.”
Gabriel groaned and massaged his temples.“You’re giving me a headache.Is this what analysts do all day?Look for hidden motives in every single word, thought, deed, and action?”
“Absolutely,” I murmured in an absent voice.
I plucked the pen and the notepad out of my apron pocket and started jotting down ideas about how I could discover Nemesis’s identity.“I want everything you have on her.All the texts, the party invitation, and everything your techs have done to try to find her.”
Gabriel snorted.“You’reenjoyingthis.Then again, you always did love puzzles, even when we were kids.Remember all those logic games our dads would give us?You would solve yours in about three minutes, and it would take me three hours.”
Gabriel’s father, Leon Chase, had also been a cleaner for Section 47.Leon had been friends with my father, and they had often gotten together on the weekends to do extra training—and dragged a reluctant Gabriel and an even more reluctant me along for the ride.
“True.But when our dads would make us go outside for survivalist training, you would find food and water in less than an hour, and I would tromp through the woods all day before you would take pity on me.”
Gabriel grinned.“I always put extra chocolate bars in my backpack just for you, Char.”His grin faded away.“I just hope you can forgive me for not telling you the truth sooner.”
Part of me was annoyed he hadn’t told me everything back at the castle, but Gabriel hadn’t withheld the full truth with malicious intent.And if Nemesis hadn’t told him about the Tannenbaum mission, then the outcome might have been very, very different.Gabriel had helped Desmond kill the mercenaries who were holding a ballroom full of innocent people hostage.Those folks owed their lives to Gabriel, as did Desmond and I.
“Of course I forgive you.”I paused.“Just don’t make a habit out of lying to me.”
Gabriel drew anXover his heart with his index finger.“Never will I ever.”
Satisfied, I nodded and looked over my scribbled notes, adding a few more ideas and avenues of attack.One way or another, I was going to find Nemesis—and ask exactly why she had dragged my friend into a dangerous Section mission.
Gabrielscrolledthroughhismessages while I kept brainstorming.By this point, it was after nine o’clock, and the diner had largely emptied out.
The door opened, the bell chimed, and another familiar presence filled the air, like the electrical charge before a thunderstorm.Soft footsteps sounded, and a hand skimmed along the right sleeve of my waitress uniform.Desmond stopped beside the booth.He was still wearing the janitor’s uniform from this morning’s mission, under a thick blue coat.
“Sorry I’m late,” he said.
A hundred questions burned on my tongue, but I swallowed them.“No worries.”
I scooted over, and Desmond slid into the booth beside me.I held my breath, wondering if he might notice the three vials of Redburn hidden in the red French fries sign, but, just like Gabriel, Desmond didn’t even glance at the window.Seemed my hiding place was a good one.
Desmond nodded at Gabriel.“Gaby.”
“Hello, Slick,” Gabriel replied.
“Aw, your budding bromance is so cute,” I drawled.“The two of you are already at the nicknames stage.”
The two men gave me sour glares, but I just grinned in return.When they had first met at the diner a few months ago, Desmond and Gabriel had immediately disliked each other.That tended to happen when you put two alpha cleaners together.But the two of them had worked together and saved each other’s life during the Tannenbaum mission, and each cleaner now had a grudging, mutual respect for the other, although neither one of them would ever admit it.
Pablo came over and set a glass filled with bright yellow-orange liquid in front of Desmond, then poured more coffee for Gabriel and handed me a plate with another piece of cake.
“Remind me to give you a raise,” I murmured.
Pablo winked at me.“Sure thing, boss lady.”
Desmond and Gabriel knew I owned the diner now, so they didn’t bat an eye at the chef’s words.
Pablo gave an elegant flourish with his hand.“And for your gentleman friend, a mango-lime smoothie with a dash of turmeric and a hint of cumin.”
